Very very busy.....

Things are a bit hectic around here and we are working hard to get the coop built for the little guys!

They aren't so little anymore and they are getting their feathers, fast and furious!! They are in need of a new home!!

One of the three things keets do best....Sleep...the others are eat and poop!!!

Wildflowers...

My friend John, at Maine Nature Photos http://mainenaturephotos.blogspot.com/

has been presenting a beautiful wildflower series this week displaying his amazing photography of the roadside beauties he's enjoying at this time. Well, John this one's for you! I haven't looked it up but I'd say it's a type of Bell flower. I remember this plant was in this spot when I moved on my property many years ago, but I haven't seen it here for a number of years, until now! It's in the same spot it had always been! What a beautiful sight to come upon. Thanks John for the wildflower inspirations!

It's the little things in life...

I really should go on bugguide.net and look this little guy up, but my computer has an issue and keeps freezing up anytime I want to do something important. So I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this fellow is a type of fly that is pretending to look like a bee for it's own self preservation.

Pretty smart if you ask me!

Update! I checked with buggide and it is a Syrphid Fly! This website is awesome and the folks there are quick...I got an answer in less than 3 minutes!

New Digs.....

Monday evening we were hard at work figuring out how to put together a new brooder for the babies. Their little plastic tote...while good for tiny keets was just not big enough for them to run and jump. Their wing feathers are already coming in and they sure do like to test their pilot skills! You can see one little feather on this little guy but believe me they are already loading up in the feather department.

And of course little Miss Daisy Lu is being as good as she can be, not getting too close, but secretly wishing one would fly out and accidentally land in her mouth!! Soon the tables will be turned because as the saying goes...

"Guineas Rule!!"

Enjoying the Pond...

Thought I would just mention what a sweet doggie our Elkhound is!

Ole....you're a good boy!!

From the Garden....

Now that the keets are settled and growing happily I thought I would take you back to the new garden for a special treat. Most of my new perennials are still quite small, not putting on a big show, but these Foxglove Camelot are doing their best to bring a bit of fanfare into the space! There is a steady rain this morning and the garden is always happiest after a good soaking of Mother Nature!

Livin in Comfort....

A happy keet is a stretched out keet!

Photo courtesy of my daughter Rachel.

Home at Last!

The phone rang at 7:30 this morning..."They're here!!!" sang the Post Master, Julie. I just about cried all the way to the post office! We could hear one or two peeping but couldn't see through the little holes to tell if all were well. Not only are they all safe and sound....but there's an extra one!!
Gee I wonder who the camera ham is in this shot!!
Now the work begins!!

Worried sick......

Do you see any little bitty keets in this box??? Neither do I!!! Now I know that they will come either today or tomorrow and that the post office handles this kind of thing on a regular basis, but I can't help but worry! It's my nature. Plus I don't have the best of luck. Instead of it being a warm 75 degree day in mid June it's only mid 50's with a wind chill to boot!! I can just picture my babies in a cold truck huddling for warmth! I hope that there will be good news soon.....I think I'll go hug my dog.......

Phun with Photoshop....

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for me...I've been very busy lately, so I thought I would go with the theme many of my favorite blogs are going with right now and that is Peonies!! I thought a little art was in order so here is the before...

...and the after in the Watercolor filter in photoshop!
So pretty!!!!

Tomorrow my Keets will be shipped, let's hope they stay warm on the trip, we are actually going to have to use a comforters tonight to say warm!!!

Coop Building....

Saturday we worked on the Guinea Coop....there was the frame and making it "squaaaaaahh" as Norm from 'The New Yankee Workshop' would say! We ALWAYS say it that way!!! There was waterproofing the floor... Of course there was Daisy Lu keeping an eye out for invading bunny rabbits... And the finishing touches....I turned around to check to see if the water hose had been turned off so not to waste water out of a leaky hose..... And low and behold we had an audience of one!!! Luckily the water was off so I didn't have to disturb his show! Finally the coop floor found it's home and all is well with the world! The End

Eve's Oak Nut Tree....

I have the best friends you could ask for! If you remember back to me writing about them in "My Second Favorite Place to Be..." http://sunnysideup-eve.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-second-favorite-place-to-be.html you know that I spend as much time at their farm as I think they can put up with. I say this because I can be more than a handful at times! With my opinions and rantings on the happenings of the times...you see I'm not always Sunny Side Up! I know they love me though and one of the reasons I think they put up with me is for my entertainment value alone! I love to tell stories. We had these two over a few weeks ago for a fun cookout/get together and of course I was telling them about the digging of my garden and a treasure I found while shaking out the sod. As they waited for the end of the story, I ran inside a grabbed a little zip-lock baggie with a wet paper towel inside. Taking out the towel and opening it up, I reveled what I had found..."Look I found an 'Oak Nut' in the garden and decided to see if it would germinate!!!"
Now we all get old and forgetful, but being a very creative person, when I had a loss for the word 'acorn' I managed to come up with 'oak nut' without skipping a beat. Well, this brought on a round of laughs and in the years to come as this little sprout gets bigger it will always be known as "Eve's Oak Nut Tree"!


Have a great weekend!!

Dragonflies at my place...

Two summers ago we had a really good dragonfly year. Last summer was very dry and I didn't see as many as I would have liked. They are such awesome creatures and quite beautifully detailed. They are fun to watch as they have their own little habits and territorial battles! Those of you who might not give a dragonfly a second glance (very few of you who enjoy my blog) take a break next time you see a large bug whiz by, you will be very glad you did!
Female Band-winged Meadowhawk visiting an orange hydraulic jack....maybe she thought it was a very attractive fellow!

White-faced Meadowhawk resting at my pond. This is the exuviae, the discarded skin left after the dragonfly emerges from the water and hits the skys. The Blue Dasher often holds his wings forward when at rest. And sometimes dragonflies also make a tasty treat for the Tree Swallows that live at my pond!!! I hope they don't eat them all!!! Bon Appetit!!!

At the Pond...

I have a very small pond and as I've mentioned before it tends to dry out in the heat of the summer leaving a crispy batch of dried fish and tadpole treats for the local birds. Last year at this time it was just that. This year is a different story. The tadpoles are fat and happy and the dragon and damselflies are beginning to show up. Two days ago I had my first sighting of a Common Whitetail perched on a twig.

Yesterday the very popular female Eastern Forktail was doing her thing... Good stretch! And the Common Green Darners were, well.....you know! (ROY!!! This one's for you!)

I just had to throw in a picture of one of the birdhouse gourds that my daughter planted last year.

We'll just have to wait and see if it works!!

Gearing up for Guineas!

Well...I ordered 15 Pearl Guinea keets Friday and they will be shipped out on the 18th! I'm a bit nervous, but excited about trying to be the best Guinea mom I can be. Our property has become overrun with ticks in the past few years and it has turned into a nightmare every summer having to do tick checks on the dogs and us!! I've done some research and found Guinea fowl are the way to go when it comes to this annoyance, and danger. Our Elkhound, Ole, was diagnosed with Lyme disease last year. Even with tick prevention, and collars the ticks are still attached to them! Luckily we caught his Lyme early and now both dogs are on a Lyme vaccine as well.

Soon we will have the best prevention we can get....Guineas!!! We found a nice place in the back yard are are getting ready to build a guinea coop... Of course there is nothing we don't do without little Daisy Lu keeping an eye on...

Well!!! It's a start!!

In the meantime my gardens are looking lovely and the good news is Guineas are great for gardening...

I can't believe how fast things get big once it warms up!!!

Most of the flowers are still in the green stage but it wont be long (well I don't want to rush it) before it's full of flowers and color!
I have to thank Danni from Critter Farm for inspiring me. I started reading her blog just about the time she had all her chickybabes in a box at her new farm. She is doing a wonderful job and I hope to be as good a critter mom as she has become!

She passed.....

My daughter...the one who always makes fun of my blog.....passed her motorcycle road test this morning...... Congrats Racheeeeee!!!!!

Another busy day...

Yesterday I took a boatload of pictures for the Lyme Garden Club based in Chaumont, NY. This wonderful group does brilliant things for the town of Chaumont and area. There is a upcoming garden tour at the end of the month and I have taken photographs for the local papers to promote the tour. I'll be working on my photos and will be excited for all the gardeners and gardens on tour!!!

Happy Wednesday...

Eastern Tailed Blue through Photoshop! Have a great day!

Thanks Julie!!!

When my cousin Julie came to visit me we had very few days to work outside because of the inclement weather. Her first day here we went out and worked on an idea I had for a railing to be turned up on it's end for a clematis trellis. I had the garden planned for peonies and the old wash buckets but without Julie's vision I may not have come up with this plan!

Yesterday I planted the buckets, now that it looks as if there will be no more frosts, and all the while was thinking of you, Julie!

We had a good visit and will be looking forward to seeing your gardens this summer.


The iris are blooming in the "wild" garden...
...and the hawthorn trees are shading our seats for an afternoon cocktail!!!